Law & Order: SVU Sneak Peek Shows Olivia Losing Her Cool

The Law & Order: SVU team has taken on some very emotional crimes in the past, but this new one looks to be one of the hardest the team has tackled yet. In a sneak peek of the show's return Wednesday, January 3, Olivia loses her cool when a call about a missing child ends up being none other than Noah:

Olivia is understandably stressed about her son's disappearance, so it's completely understandable as to why she is pressing for the most extreme measures possible in order to find her kid. That said, this short clip from Law & Order: SVU's return could be evidence enough that Olivia might not be right for the lead on this case, as she's not operating with the most rational headspace. Olivia has always been someone that lets her emotions cloud her better judgment, so perhaps the team is used to this type of energy by now, and will only try to reign her in when they feel it is necessary.

That probably won't take too long, judging by the orders she's giving the security guard in this mall scene. It also doesn't help matters that the person to lose Noah just so happened to be Sheila Porte,r whom Olivia has had a contentious relationship with since she entered Noah's life. The two had seemed to smooth the waters in recent episodes, but it goes without saying this recent incident might affect Olivia's trust in leaving Noah with his biological grandmother in the future.

A potential kidnapping is not the first unfortunate thing that has happened in young Noah's life. The kid has had gang members gunning for him for revenge, he's contracted measles, and he almost lost Olivia as his caretaker. Tet throughout all of that, he still manages to be a somewhat adjusted kid. In short, Noah might be one of the most resilient characters on Law & Order: SVU, so he'll probably bounce back from being missing without any harm coming his way. But if things end up taking a turn for the worse, it's obviously going to have a profound impact on Olivia's character.

Law & Order: SVU returns to NBC with a chilling new episode Wednesday, January 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what other shows are scheduled to return or make their premiere in 2018, be sure to visit our midseason premiere guide. Anyone curious as to which shows still have yet to air in the final days of 2017 can most definitely find out by heading over to our fall premiere guide. Finally, for a look at some shows that were canceled in 2017 and some background as to what led to that, visit our cancellation guide.